Students teach Bray a lesson

THAT old chestnut about the students learning lessons was, for once, applicable yesterday. Another three day seminar from their Dutch tutor, Heerenveen manager, Foppe de Haan, revived their passing game and, they deservedly recorded only their second league win at the Carlisle Grounds.

Knocking it around better than they had been doing for some time, UCD surprisingly took the game to Bray from the start with some ease, protected a slim interval lead with some discipline, and struck again to record an away win that could have come out of a continental manual.

There were other factors as well, Jason Sherlock, who started his first league game of the season, was almost a one man show at the outset, his pace, ability to turn on a sixpence and honesty in chasing everything gave UCD a badly needed injection of pace up front. Though he came in for some heavy punishment and understandably wilted, the hardworking Robert Griffin kept going until the end and was duly rewarded.

The entire reshuffle also saw Griffin and Darren O'Brien exchange midfield for striking roles, and both scored the latter, recording his 50th league goal from a right sided midfield role, hit the upright and set up Griffin for his late strike.

Their defence, and especially the middle of it, has been the least of UCD's problems (only Bohemians and Derry have conceded less). Once again Terry Palmer, particularly, and Tony McDonnell were rock like pillars when Bray, who never give up, launched a strong aerial bombardment in the second half.

But even that aspect of their attempted comeback was by no means vintage Wanderers. They seem a little short of confidence - hardly surprising now that they have lost four in a row - and are girding themselves for a tough campaign ahead.

"We were lethargic in the first half," conceded Pat Devlin, who again bemoaned an untypically leaky defence. "But the relegation zone is nothing new for us so we've got to get our sleeves rolled up.

His counterpart Theo Dunne admitted that their progressive Dutch link was a contributory factor to the improvement. "It showed in our play today. It's good getting completely new ideas from Europe, especially in simple things like preparation and the passing game.

From the off, Jason Colwell in particular was the one midfielder on view to consistently bring a stubbornly lively ball down on a hard surface (a repeatedly disruptive influence on too many early season games).

All around him, a technically superior UCD looked more willing to do this, and with Sherlock starting at breakneck speed they had lots more movement off the ball as well.

A gliding crossfield run and through ball was not controlled by O'Brien, then he shot wide before hurdling two tackles and then latched on to Declan Fitzgerald's through ball to roll it gently past Pat Trehy but also fractionally wide of the far post all in the first nine minutes.

Sherlock could have received more protection from John McDermott arguably our best referee, and overseeing his first game since early August after injury. Indeed one senses McDermott might have been more severe with some late and robust tackling from behind in a European setting.

Not that it was ever nasty, and though Bo McKeever making a club record 189th appearance the day after his wife gave birth to their second child - and Gavin Teehan struggled with some success to subdue the lively Sherlock, UCD had set the tone.

It always seemed a matter of when, rather than if, they would score and after 29 minutes O'Brien struck. Sherlock's harrying forced McKeever to concede a throw in which Fitzgerald delivered toward the penalty spot. Griffin nodded it on to O'Brien who, having set his sight earlier with a similar long range curler, turned inside onto his left foot to beat Trehy inside the post with a sweet left footed strike from about 12 yards.

Bray almost responded within two minutes when Kieran O'Brien nipped in behind McDonnell after Richie Parsons - who had a good game flicked on Trehy's long punt but the striker lobbed his volley well over.

Bray applied more pressure after the break, though only had two wayward attempts on goal until injury time against a defensively composed UCD. The students looked every bit as dangerous on the break as the home side gambled - Sherlock testing Trehy with a meaty half volley and O'Brien striking the butt of the upright after weaving round two defenders.

Five minutes from time, Colwell restored sanity to some aerial ping pong, finding O'Brien close by. UCD's longest serving player played the ball through as Bray pushed out near half way, and had the wit to follow on. He took out the last defender with a square ball which Griffin pushed round Trehy to score well from a tight angle past Maurice Farrell on the line.